Chico Saturday farmers market now has bike valet with mini tune-ups

CHICO &GT;&GT; Two-wheelers who make a stop at the Saturday's Chico Certified Farmers Market downtown can park a little easier with the new bike valet service offered by Chico Velo.

The hope is that having someone watch the bikes will encourage more people to ride them, explained Forough Molino, Chico Velo board member.

The free service also comes with a mini bicycle tune-up, if warranted and wanted. Budd Schwab, of Campus Bicycles, was checking bikes Saturday morning for sturdy air pressure and had a kickstand on his to-fix list.

A similar bike valet service is available at the Thursday night market and people like it, Molino said.

The bicycle group also rents itself out for special events, such as the recent beer camp at Sierra Nevada, she explained.

For people with bicycle trailers for children, the service works really well. People can even drop off the produce they bought at the market, leave the bags within the watched area, and visit other stores downtown, she continued.

If she can fit it into a normal conversation, Molino said she tries to educate people about bicycle safety and the benefits of leaving their cars in their driveways.

The plan is to continue the service from 8:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

So far, bicyclists seemed to appreciate the service. Because this was the first week, folks who were locking up their bikes were encouraged to bring their rides into the enclosed section near the corner of Third Street and Wall.

David Watkins will be the main bike watcher, for now.

He's leaving town in mid-August to attend San Diego State. Yet, someone else will take over his post, which Watkins said is a great part-time job.